Now the quilt is really finished.

I’ve been sleeping under the Checkered Dresden quilt for more than a month now. Yes, it is a wonderful quilt. The only thing missing was a label. We are told to label everything, so in the future people will know who made the quilt.I have mentioned before that I don’t feel the need to name every quilt. I’m ok with my name and the year it was made.  I love hand embroidery and probably don’t do enough of it. So for many of my quilt labels, I pull out the embroidery. This is a handkerchief and designs from Sublime Stitching, their patterns are fun, although I think I’m going to branch out and use others as well. Sure I ‘could’ design my own, but so many good designers out there, why not use their products?Why the squirrel? No reason other than I have the pattern, I like the squirrel. It has nothing to do with the quilt top.If I have a squirrel, might as well add an acorn.Squirrel finished.Here is the label. Either the quilt will stay in the family and they will know who I am, or it won’t. Then the only thing the person will know is my name, the year this was made and that I must have liked squirrels.

I recently read a blog post of someone who found a very interesting 1970’s quilt in a vintage store. Later he found the name of the maker and even a citation in a book about that specific quilt. He got in touch with her, she is still quilting and often wondered what happened to that quilt. Clearly, she sent many quilts out into the world. So it was nice that they reconnected.Label attached.  Most of my embroidery ends up on the back of quilts where it really doesn’t get seen. I should consider doing some more visible embroidery, but right now, I’m just happy embroidering and sending it out into the world on my quilts.

Leah

Splendid Sampler X and some embroidery

I have hit a wall, I am so over this year long project. There are a few reasons for this, there was a break for Christmas, so being out of the habit makes it hard to come back and make two blocks a week.This block is by Latifah Safir, a wonderful quilter I know personally. It represents an airplane. So I went ahead and changed the colors, I think the airplane still comes through. This is the last block I enjoyed making. It was the last one before the break.This one may have been a bonus before the New Year, or not, it was alright.Everything is wrong with this block. The instructions were to cut half square triangles and sew them together. No, I wasn’t going there, but then  there weren’t the dimensions for the final square or flying geese blocks. So it looks wonky and the burn out is setting in.

I skipped two blocks, embroidery, and fussy applique. Just no.So I made my own off center log cabin block. I’m too close to the end to drop it all, although I will need a break before I put the quilt together. This block was a combination of simple piecing, applique, and some embroidery. Let’s just say I really simplified the applique and skipped the embroidery.  Only eight more blocks to go, either I will do them or others of my own choosing.

And now on to something that isn’t painful at all. Embroidery. You’d think with my complaints about the embroidery blocks, that I don’t like this craft. I actually love it, just not on a 6″ quilt block.  Many of my quilt labels are embroidered. It’s that final handmade touch.This is the label for my son’s quilt, an elk of course. The pattern is a transfer pattern from Sublime Stitching. I love the whimsey of these designs and I bought a few packages at Quiltcon last year. The needle keeper is one I got in a gift exchange, nice to use my gifts.This was called a deer head, not an elk, but elk are just bigger deer. There are no stitch instructions, so I have fun pulling out embroidery books and trying different stitches.I made the decision to put the year and my name but not to name the quilt. In the discussion about art and quilts – I fall on the side that quilts are beautiful craft. These days I find no beauty in contemporary art, so feel no need to call myself an artist. I will happily sign my work, but it doesn’t need a name. The image of the elk is name enough.I usually use blanket stitch, I got creative and it didn’t work out so well. Not so bad that I’d tear out the stitching, I’m sure my son and his family will never notice, the elk head is so impressive.A close-up of the embroidery. I love it! I’m so glad I am able to incorporate it into my work.

 

Leah

Nachas, Yiddish for feeling grateful

P1120412Aytan spent the whole weekend with us.  He loves he shirt, even demanded that the top button be buttoned. We went to get his glasses fixed and I wanted a picture – of course he wouldn’t smile. IMG_3863A different day, Westley likes his shirt as well, as he rearranges the kitchen.IMG_3864P1120424The rest of the weekend included around the clock arts and crafts. He asked me to draw pirate ships, which he then cut out and colored.  He also took the rug pad to use as his display board.IMG_3859He raided my sewing supplies, so yeah, one of my stronger interfacings became the basis for this art.  IMG_3857My fabric glue stick is almost gone.  I did ask about the five legged giraffe, he didn’t seem to mind the extra leg. Put himself on it.   We went through about 5 rolls of tape. A visit to both the Dollar tree and the 99 cent store for more supplies.

I tried to do some embroidery and he immediately demanded to participate.IMG_3855His words and letters on construction paper. I gave him one of my very large yarn needles, doubled the floss, so it wouldn’t come off and showed him how to embroider.IMG_3856Very good for a first attempt, sure the back is messier, but that work is incredible.  He then taped to my wall. It’s down now but I’m saving this.  I’m also thinking that I might purchase one of those smaller sewing machines.  Anything to encourage this kind of creativity.

I didn’t get a picture of the mess the house was in, paper shards everywhere, googlie eyes glued onto everything. Shapes from my Sixxiz all over the floor.

I was in heaven, tired, but in heaven.  Shira spent the time with her other grandma and Erez and Becky had a very well deserved romantic weekend to celebrate ten years of marriage. I have no idea where the time goes!

Leah

Yes I’ve been quilting

A lot of people talk about Facebook and other social media in very derogatory terms. Like anything else in life – it’s what you make of it. I have been fortunate to have found a small group of likeminded crafty women online, we have our own closed group.  In my travels I’ve been able to meet four of them IRL.

One of them is  Sarah in Austin, who is expecting her third child very soon, a little girl. Together we planned to knit her a baby blanket as well as each of us making a unique gift using our individual talents.  So I’ve been quilting.P1100430On Pinterest, I saw a baby quilt with a large offset Dresden plate. Lately I’ve been enjoying the center medallion quilt, as well as the scrappy quilt. Most of these fabrics are stash, a few are new.P1100433 I used many techniques, one of which is needle turn appliqué – I’d like to make an Hawaiian style quilt one of these days. Perfect project to practice on.P1100472Especially on these hearts.P1100473Upon seeing the completed quilt a friend asked for the pattern, there isn’t one, it was design as I went along, also, it was use up what I had. So I used up my pink and purple solids instead of buying one larger solid pink. P1100475Originally I had hoped to repeat the corner pattern around the whole border.  A free pattern, Chic Stars, using  the Quick Curve Ruler.  They look more like hearts to me, which just echoes the appliqué hearts in the center.  I came up with the bands of print fabric as a solution.  Necessity is the mother of invention – and a very good one indeed.P1100632Next challenge – how do I quilt this? Since I have Hawaiian quilts on the brain, why not echo the dresden plate?  Starting in the center with FMQ I quickly switched to the walking foot and filled the entire center panel.P1100611Its a little hard to see the quilting, I used a ruler for straight lines in the color bars, reinforced the heart idea with FMQ.P1100614Photography is a wonderful thing. I had finished and bound the quilt and was taking picture. Well I thought I had finished, turns out I forgot a corner of the echo stitch. No problem, back to the machine we go.  This has happened to me before, I forget to quilt a small area, or in one case, I forgot to machine applique one piece. Luckily that was on a wall hanging.P1100610Love the final quilt. The scrappy continued in the binding – using up every last bit of the solid fabric. You can clearly see how effective the spiral quilting is here as well.P1100616More scrappy in the back. Here I’m using up the print fabrics as well as some leftover blocks from another quilt, I even included a fabric that doesn’t show up in the front, thats what you do when you run out.  P1100618Another tip from either Pinterest or Instagram – sew the label in with the binding.  P1100667Since this unborn baby already has a name picked out, I hand embroidered a label as well.Sarah collageIt has arrived safely! I think it’s safe to say that this will be a well loved quilt.

Leah

May birthday exchange

I am really enjoying being part of an Instagram exchange. It’s fun reading what the person likes and trying to make something appropriate. Luckily we are all creative and anything we make is appreciated.

It is also fun to combine my different skills in one project. I made an IPad mini holder.P1080729Starting with embroidery,  using Hollie’s favorite color green and a needle minder that I got from Raquel.  I follow a wonderful embroider blog Mary Corbet’s Needle n’ Thread.  Mary is a very serious needlewoman. I love embroidery for small projects, I find her to be an amazing inspiration.  So I bought her ebook Stitch Sampler Alphabet and boy have I been having fun. This one letter H has so many stitch varieties.P1080732This time I even used similar colors to what was called for, simply because they work very well with my theme.  P1080731Hand work is so satisfying.  Of course I knit a lot, but creating beauty with a needle and some colored thread is so very satisfying.P1080739I used some of my own greens as well as some of the charm pack I got in our goodie bag at Quiltcon.  Inserted a zipper, so this can be opened all the way, or only part way to put the iPad mini in.P1080743Fun jungle fabric as lining as well as a very pretty stone bead as a zipper pull.P1080742Finished project.P1080744Another small item. I found the instructions online.  A little pouch for tea bags.  Of course I had to use some fox fabric, this exchange is called, crazy like fox.  There are some tea bags inside.P1080747Side by side.

I have more items to include but that is for another post.

The gift box arrived.

What is even better is the reception the sock monkey got, that is what I call a great thank you.

Leah

Embroidering the label

A quilt needs a label, something to tell you who made this and when. Even if the quilt is staying with me.  I enjoy some hand embroidery, so out come the reference books.P1050493I found the Embroiderer’s Handbook at Borders when they were selling everything off before going out of business. One of the best buys I’ve made. I know how to embroider, I follow some good embroidery blogs, but this has become my stitch bible.IMG_0476Gathering the materials.  I have started using Frixon pens. The naysays are worried about the image coming back, I’m not. Even if it does, oh well, sometimes convenience and ease is more important that irrational fears.P1050457The Frixon pen disappears when heat is applied. Like an iron. See it works! Unintentionally! I thought I’d iron it out before I went on with my embroidery – big mistake! Luckily I hadn’t thrown away my lettering, so I simply had to recopy.P1050492In the second book I found this lovely butterfly. What is better in the garden? Or the Not garden.P1050491leftover snippets.P1050495P1050499Now it is really done!

Leah

Talit Bag

Jewish men wear a Prayer shawl during services.  Traditions vary as to when they start wearing the shawl, some like my sons start at their Bar Mitzvah at 13, others like my  son in law – after they are married.

Yochanan asked me to make him the Talit Bag. Yay! Another project!P1040327So I gathered my materials,  (green of course – his favorite color), picked one of my many paper pieced star patterns and started.P1040334Enjoying the added light on the sewing machine bed.P1040340The traditional Jewish star is the 6 pointed one. But that is based on the equatorial triangle – or the hexagon and I have enough of that right now. So an eight pointed star it is, I used blue for the stars. Not wanting to be too literal, I did not go with white background, rather with cream.P1040345As accurate as I can get, really no one but will will see the millimeter discrepancies (well now that I pointed them out, you will).P1040349Tilting the block makes it much more interesting.P1040352Hand embroidered name.P1040351I actually quilted the star to the background so it won’t shift. An invisible touch.  Here I’m adding the zipper.P1040360Front view.  The bead is from a fimo bracelet I bought a few years ago. I restrung it because it was too big for my little wrist.  Never throw anything away, you never know when you’ll want it.P1040366Back is as nice as the front.P1040428The happy owner of the bag.

Leah

The quilt that ‘killed’ the sewing machine

 

Well, not really, I was improperly inserting my needles. Tightening the clamp too hard until the screw wore down to a point and wouldn’t hold the needle in place.  But this quilt is what finally caused me to just go get another machine.

ModOlives baby quilt
ModOlives baby quilt

Here it is quilted finished and labeled. Ready to go to a baby boy. It’s nice that friends are having children and grandchildren.

I love tools of the trade, anything to make the project easier or more interesting. I discovered this wonderful Quick curve ruler  and had to start playing.

As a quilter, I have a stash, a lot of fabric on hand. I was lucky to be given this wonderful  car fabric, what better for a little boy, add some solids and we have a palate.

Fabrics for ModOlive
Fabrics for ModOlive

Jenny started a QAL (quilt along) with wonderful instructions and a

Flicker ModOlive Quiltalong group

Of course I joined, and off I went.

first block
first block

As I went along, I played with the color layout.

Color layout of the olives
Color layout of the olives

All well and good, until I got to the quilting part. The missing clamp for my Babylock is supposed to arrive at the end of March. Who can wait that long?? No idle hands here! I must be creative all the time. So I broke about 15 needles, struggled with a very difficult FMQ (free motion quilting) job, but I did it!

back of quilt
back of quilt

My backs are always pieced, another way to highlight the fabrics. In this case you can really see the quilting stitches as well. Despite the effort the result is beautiful.

Final step

The label
The label

Now I get to play with my embroidery threads. I found this cute image of a flower, easy to turn into embroidery. Of course name and date and even enough room for the parents to write the name and date of birth of the baby.

I love the quilt, but that was it, I couldn’t quilt with this machine as is and I have quite a few projects on the docket.  Joel agreed, I am always working, I should have the right equipment. When I tested the Juki, it was amazing how easy and smooth the quilting was. Of course I was working on a small sample, but I have no doubt, even with larger quilts – I am going to love working on it.

Leah